Yellowstone: Hollywood's Indigenous Controversy ¶
By: nicole.brandt on Nov. 3, 2021, 7:06 p.m.
When I'm not in over my head with homework and practicum you can catch me watching Yellowstone. This show initially struck me as a bit gorey and maybe a bit tacky in its "cowboys and Indians" theme, but it's safe to say I'm hooked. While taking this class in tandem with watching this popular series it feels natural for me to analyze the stereotypes, roles, and narratives being formed throughout the story line of Yellowstone. Of course, I have some thoughts.
Before taking to the media, my own emotions and thoughts were on a swing set. Back and forth with praise, wonderings, critiques, and so on. I was thrilled to see Indigenous actors play major roles in the widely popular series, but I also questioned if the show itself was reinforcing Indigenous stereotypes, or placing emphasis on common negative characteristics that are placed on Indigenous peoples in Western society. However, I was then back to applauding the show for addressing "taboo" Indigenous topics, such as colonization, post secondary Indigenization, cultural genocide, and missing and murdered Indigenous women. The show also makes an effort to demonstrate and celebrate Indigenous culture by highlighting cultural practices, Indigenous artists, and successful champions of Indigenous issues, politics, and education. I particularly love the character, Monica (played by Kelsey Asbille). She is a teacher, fighting for Indigenous issues within the plot, and has a beautiful but complicated relationship with her son, her husband, and the Dutton family within the show. Clearly, my thoughts are quite varied, and after deciding I wanted to do an OLC post on the topic itself, I took to media articles to see if anyone else has the same mixed feelings I do.
What I found out is, yes, the feelings in the media are just as mixed as mine. It turns out, my favourite character, Indigenous bad-ass Monica, isn't even played by an Indigenous actress. There has been much controversy over Asbille playing the role, and many individuals within the Indigenous acting community have spoken out about the issue. Indigenous actor Adam Bech called out the TV series prior to its airing and stated it is a "failure of diversity. I'm asking my Native actors to stay away from this project". This is not to say that Indigenous actors did not play a part in this series. A main character, Chief Thomas Rainwater, is played by a well known Indigenous actor Gil Birmingham. His character is Harvard educated and has returned to the fictional Broken Rock Indian Reserve to take back the Yellowstone lands that once belonged to his people. Birmingham claims it is an honour to play the modern day Indigenous leader character as "you rarely ever see that...Especially one that has some kind of leverage and is a powerful player in the game”. For some, the controversy of the show lies in the overall opportunity within the entertainment industry for Indigenous actors to play any role - Indigenous or non-Indigenous - thus, when a role that is Indigenous is not given to Indigenous actors, it feels like an even larger betrayal by the film industry as a whole. Actress DeLanna Studi shares her opinion on the matter stating: “If it was more of a level playing field — where our Native actors were being cast as leads in How to Get Away With Murder or Grey's Anatomy, where they can just be a human being — then there wouldn't be this need for us to be protective of the roles that are just for us”. However, Studi also argues that simply having the culture, its beauty, its people, and its trials represented on televisions worldwide is a step in the right direction.
I am still working through my feelings surrounding the Indigenous representation on the show, and I think so is the media. What I've come to appreciate about the conflict Yellowstone presents on this issue is the opportunity it provides for the industry to do better, but also for audiences to acknowledge the steps that are being taken to allow viewers like myself to get curious, find out more, and see the Indigenous culture in a place other than the news or in a textbook. Here are some articles that mirror the mixed reviews I've discussed here, and also the sources for the quotes I've included:
https://www.looper.com/199689/the-truth-about-yellowstones-casting-controversy/
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/arianelange/yellowstone-native-representation-controversy
https://www.sltrib.com/artsliving/2020/06/19/yellowstone-breaks-mold/
I encourage you to check out the show on Amazon Prime Video, and share your thoughts! What kind of story does Yellowstone share for Indigenous peoples?